Elk Island National Park is one of the best places to catch a glimpse of bison up close, but not many of the park's 200,000 visitors each year get the chance to see a bear.

Frances Stewart, a PhD student at the University of Victoria, set up trail cameras to study smaller animals such as coyotes, foxes and fishers. Instead, she found photos of black bears roaming the park, which is about 35 kilometres east of Edmonton.

The cameras are part of the Moraine Mesocarnivore Project, a community effort put together by Alberta Parks in collaboration with Alberta Innovates, the Friends of Elk Island National Park and Beaver Hills Initiative.